Canton Planning Board to consider allowing billboards, farm animals

CANTON – The town Planning Board will consider allowing billboards in the town at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Municipal Building.

The board will also take a look at permitting farm animals in residential zones in the town.

Mike Morgan, board chair, said the board has a request from a Malone business, Fasprint, with an interest in putting up billboards in the town, for things such as restaurants.

“We were planning to do work on our sign code over the winter anyway, so we will take this opportunity to gauge the public’s interest,” Morgan said.

Billboards haven’t been allowed in the town without a variance since a new code went into effect in 2002, Morgan said, except those that were in existence before then.

They will also be taking a look at the “non-domestic animal” rules in residential areas of the town.

By “non-domestic animals,” in this case they mean farm animals -- anything but household pets.

“There is some interest in the back-to-farm movement, and we’ll look at the rules for horses, pigs, goats and chickens in a residential zone,” Morgan said.

As with most zoning regulations, any action would be “largely to protect neighbors.”

While the board has taken up the issue before, nothing formal was done. The question seemed to revolve around how much land would be required before farm animals were allowed in an area zoned residential, Morgan said.

At the Oct. 23 meeting, the board will also take comments on community style gardens.